Tracking the Tigers with MLB.com beat writer Jason Beck.

Leyland/Sheffield quotes

Here’s a selection of quotes from Tigers manager Jim Leyland on the Boston Globe article in which Gary Sheffield talked about his role as a platoon (otherwise known as my way of getting use out of quotes I transcribed but couldn’t fit into the article):

Leyland on Sheffield’s games played: “Like I said, I’m shocked, because this caught me totally off-guard. Before his [oblique] injury when we put him on the DL, he played 39 out of 51 games and about seven other games he couldn’t go to the post because his shoulder was clicking. So that would’ve been about [46] out of 51 games he would’ve been in. Post-DL, he’s played 36 out of 43 games, which means he hasn’t played seven, which means that you have a couple long games, night games, day games or something and you protect him a little bit. Well, that to me is the farthest thing from a platoon as I’ve ever heard of in my life, so I’m totally flabbergasted by it.”

Leyland on leadership: “Nobody’s a voice leader. You lead by example, by playing the game right. That’s how you lead. And I’m not talking about Gary Sheffield, I’m talking about anybody. That’s how you lead. You don’t lead by yelling. You lead by example. You lead by playing hard and showing other people how you play the game. That’s how you lead, so I’m befuddled by this article. I don’t understand what this article means at all. I have no clue how this article came about. I don’t know. I talked to the guy today who wrote the article. I told him I understand that this is stuff that Gary told you, but I want you to know that a lot of this stuff isn’t accurate. Gary Sheffield’s not a platoon player, is he?”

Leyland on the supposed platoon role: “I’ve never considered Gary Sheffield a platoon player in my life. He’s never been a platoon player since he’s been here, and he was made aware of the fact that when he accepted the trade here, that he was going to be the DH, period. So I don’t understand why that, all of a sudden, is a big point. That was decided before the trade was ever made. What’s the point? He’s not going to be the outfielder here. He’s going to be the DH, which is what he was told when he accepted the trade. I tried the outfield thing with him. I think I tried to respond in any way I could to try to get him going, obviously, because we need him. And I’m not mad at him. I’m just saying I’m totally surprised by all this.

“I’m still confused by the article because it talks about a platoon doesn’t sit well. Who is talking about a platoon? Gary Sheffield’s never platooned here as long as he’s been here. Platoon is when you have a left-handed hitter and a right-handed hitter. One plays against right-handed pitching and one plays against left-handed pitching. That is a platoon. Let me make that perfectly clear.”

Leyland on Sheffield’s outspokenness: “I’ve always been an admirer of Gary’s because he speaks what he feels, and I think he’s an admirer of me because I speak what I feel. And that’s the way I feel about it. I’m reading this article and it’s blindsided me, totally blindsided me. I don’t really know where it’s coming from or why the article was ever done. Based on what? You feel like a caged Tiger? What are you talking about? This is a guy who’s on his way to the Hall of Fame. Nobody’s been in his corner any more than me.”

Leyland on talking with Sheff: “I’ve never had a conversation where Gary Sheffield told me he’s unhappy in his role. I talk with all my players from time to time. I check with my players every day to see if they’re all right. I check with Gary every day and say, ‘You all right?’ I don’t have a long conversation with any of them, but, ‘Are you all right?’ ‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ That’s why this article blindsided me.”

Leyland on Sheff in the outfield: “I’ve got medical people telling me it’s suicidal to play him in the outfield right now, basically, because he’ll probably get hurt again. He might have to dive for a ball. It’s hard for him to throw. He’s throwing a little better than he was, but I just don’t get the drift of this.”

Sheffield on the article: “If you ever looked at the whole article, it was nothing that I was ticked off about. It was just these are the facts, and that’s just the way it is. There’s nothing I can do about it. I just have to accept it, that that’s the way they’re going to do it, and roll with it. I haven’t said anything all year, and I’m not going to start now. If they’re going to take that as some negative thing, go right ahead. I really don’t care anyways.”

Sheffield on Leyland’s reaction: “Ain’t nothing to try to blindside about. It’s a fact. I come in. Some days I don’t play, some days I play. That’s platooning to me. He might think it’s different. It’s not a big deal. It’s just a matter of that’s the way I see it.”

Sheffield on how his shoulder feels: “Feels great. I’m capable of playing outfield. If I feel good, I have a right to say I feel good. If I don’t, I have a right to say I don’t. Whoever takes offense to it, that’s their problem.”

All totaled, courtesy of associate reporter Scott McNeish, Leyland used the term “blindsided” six times. Four times, he said he was “caught off-guard.” He said he was “flabbergasted” three times, “shocked” and “befuddled” twice each, and one time each for “surprised” and “confused.” Sprinkled in with many of those terms was the term “totally,” as in “totally caught off-guard” or “totally blindsided.” The total use for “totally” was 10 times.

15 Comments

I think it is time for Rod & Mario to stop calling JV an ace. Ok enough of the negative.
Maggs, keep it up and win that tiltle again.
Carlos & Cabby, you’re my Tigers. Cabby is starting to act like “The Mayor” Casey at first, a lot of talking & smiling going on.

Did you see him hanging his head in the dugout? I don’t think he understands what is going wrong. Maybe it’s the pitching coach, JV. What is he telling you to do? Waste too many pitches to see if hitters will chase them? Your delivery? Your grip on the ball? Call the Angels’ and Rays’ pitchers and see how they have done better without CH hanging like an albatross around their necks.

And he seems “befuddled” after getting hammered. This dude fools absolutely NO ONE. Batters are RARELY off balance when facing him, they nearly ALL know whats coming. It’s only by the fact that he can have great stuff that he gets anyone out!!

He’s basically a minor/instructional league pitcher, with much better than average stuff. And, until he changes his approach to the game, I don’t think things will get better anytime soon. Yea, he’ll mow people down now and then. He’ll pitch 6 innings of shut out ball now and then, but eventually, he’s gonna get racked…… cause you cannot do what he does, for long, and be a winning pitcher….

As happy as I am for Inge and Cabrera to get their solo homeruns, they both left men on base when the HR would have helped make this game closer. They need to bear down more with runners on. Can we blame the hitting coach for that? LOL. I am on everyones back these days.

Say, I have an idea. How about signing some of those Detroit Juniors and see what they can do for the Tigers.

I know I have been pretty negative tonight. Sorry. I am from Illinois. About 120 miles west of Chicago. Got tired of the neighborhood kids fighting over Sox and Cubs so I became a fan of my Dad’s team, the Tigers. He had lived in Detroit growing up. That was when I was about 10 years old. Tomorrow I turn 67. Do the math. I am still a Tiger fan. This year has been especially frustrating. Don’t have to tell any of you that. No matter what, it is still “Go Tigers!”

Well, Sheff is definately not taking anything back in the Free Press article. That’s it for me. I tried to be patient when he was complaining about the strike zone. But come on, it is really sad to see his whining.
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I hope we can get rid of him. Maybe he can work out with Barry again, and get back into his old form. Why was it that he was playing so well when he was working out with BB anyway…

It’s time for the Detroit Tigers to get rid of Gary Sheffield. He has done nothing positive for this team and I think his bad attitude is killing this club. I don’t know what Jim Leyland ever saw in him. He is a cancer that is bringing this high priced all-star team down. What a disappointing season this has been.

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